Ossetra goes from California to Ohio
How do you compare a 3-year-old whose only two races since December were routes in Southern California with a bunch of Ohio-bred sprinters? That’s the key question for handicappers seeking to ferret out the winner of Saturday’s Tall Stacks Stakes for 3-year-old statebred sprinters at Belterra Park.
Based on Beyer Speed Figures, Ossetra, formerly trained by Bob Baffert, appears to be superior to his eight rivals in the six-furlong Tall Stacks. His career Beyers are 77-78-76. No one else in the field has run faster than a 68. The only question is how well Ossetra will adapt to sprinting for the first time since his career debut last October.
His challengers in the $75,000 race include Riding in the Wind, the winner of the Howard Noonan at Mahoning Valley on April 16, and My Pardner Cal, looking to rebound following a ninth-place finish as the 2-1 favorite in the Noonan.
* Joe Woodard, the dominant trainer at Belterra, collected the 1,500th win of his career when Hard Way Six scored on opening day of the meet, April 29.
Tall Stacks, Race 7
KEY CONTENDERS
Ossetra, by Into Mischief
Last 3 Beyers: 77-78-76
◗ He makes his first start for trainer Doug Cowens, who shows an 8-for-16 record (50 percent) the first time off a trainer switch with horses returning from a break of 31-60 days, and a 5-for-14 mark (36 percent) with layoff runners switching from routes to sprints. Ossetra has not raced since March 27.
Riding in the Wind, by Tiz Wonderful
Last 3 Beyers: 68-67-48
◗ He’s 4 for 4 against Ohio-breds and 0 for 5 against open company, so he’s clearly in the right spot here.
My Pardner Cal, by Big Atlantic
Last 3 Beyers: 28-61-56
◗ Last season’s top Ohio-bred 2-year-old male, he turned in the worst performance of his six-race career when he was beaten 18 lengths in the Noonan.
◗ Looked sharp in a recent half-mile workout over the local track.
Buckeye Bullet, by Dark Kestrel
Last 3 Beyers: 66-44-42
◗ Rerallied to miss by three-quarters of a length to Riding in the Wind while dramatically improving his Beyer in his first start since December.
◗ Likely to move forward for trainer Sharon Ruberto, who is 3 for 8 (38 percent) with sprinters making their second start following a layoff.
Mixed Colors, by Mixmaster
Last 3 Beyers: 52-35-40
◗ Returns to statebred company and wheels back quickly after finishing a distant fourth in an allowance on opening day at Belterra on April 29.